'Prada' bags another o'seas win

Earns $16.7 mil, takes top spot for fourth week in row

Continuing to show its legs internationally, 20th Century Fox International's "The Devil Wears Prada" dominated the overseas boxoffice for the fourth consecutive week, seducing an estimated $16.7 million from 4,400 screens in 53 markets.

The behind-the-scenes look at a high-fashion magazine bowed at No. 1 in Korea (an estimated $2.9 million from 241 screens) and in Belgium while continuing to draw strong numbers in Germany (No. 2 in the market with $2.7 million in its third weekend at 607 screens, for a cume of $13.5 million) and Italy ($2.3 million from 440 screens in its third weekend for a market total of $12 million).

In the U.K., where it placed No. 5 in its fourth weekend, "Prada" pulled an estimated $1.8 million from 446 screens for a market cume of $22 million. In its fifth weekend in France, it yielded $1.7 million — an 3% increase compared with the weekend before — from 467 screens for a market cume of $14.3 million.

"Prada's" international box-office total to date stands at $130 million.

Buoyed by fall school holidays in Europe, Sony Pictures Releasing International's animated outing "Open Season" finished No. 2 for the weekend, garnering an estimated $9.5 million from 3,400 screens in 40 territories. Its international boxoffice total is $38.5 million, and its worldwide cume is $115.9 million.

The biggest of "Season's" markets was France, where it rolled up an estimated $2.4 million from 629 screens, a 4% increase from last weekend, lifting its market total to $5 million. In its opening weekend in Russia, "Season" pulled an estimated $2.2 million, enough to qualify it as the fourth-biggest animation title to open in the market. In its third weekend in the U.K., it placed second by garnering an estimated $1.9 million from 457 screens, raising its market cume to $10.9 million.

"Seven Dwarfs 2," the weekend's No. 3 title, also capitalized on Euro school breaks, grossing an estimated $8.4 million from 930 screens in just three markets: Germany, Austria and German-speaking Switzerland.

The sequel to the successful German-made family film ("7 Zwerge") released by Universal/United International Pictures in 2004 finished No. 1 in each market, with excellent results in Germany (an estimated $6.6 million at 770 screens) and Austria ($1.5 million from 100 screens).

At No. 4 for the weekend is Warner Bros. International's "The Departed," director Martin Scorsese's crime drama, which gunned down an estimated $7.7 million from about 900 screens in 22 markets. It bowed at No. 1 in Spain (an estimated $2.3 million from 364 screens), continued in the top spot in Australia ($984,000 from 217 sites) and opened in Italy to an estimated $1.9 million from 425 sites. Its overseas cume is $36.8 million.

Decisively topping the market in its U.K. bow and finishing No. 5 overall is Lionsgate's "Saw III," the latest in the grisly horror series, which also debuted during the weekend as North America's No. 1 boxoffice grosser.

The U.K. tally was an estimated $4.6 million, nearly 20% more than "Saw II" in the market, bringing "Saw III's" worldwide boxoffice total to $38.9 million. Buena Vista International, which is releasing the title in Spain and Latin America, plans openings this weekend in Argentina, Brazil and Colombia.

BVI's "The Guardian," which grossed an estimated $3.7 million from 2,174 screens, tied for the sixth spot with Paramount/UIP's "World Trade Center," which played 2,263 screens in 50 markets.

"Guardian," the Coast Guard rescue drama with Kevin Costner and Ashton Kutcher, bowed in Taiwan (an estimated $140,000 from 12 screens for an $11,650 per-screen average) and in Singapore, while Oliver Stone's Sept. 11 drama drew the bulk of its $3.7 million boxoffice from Japan ($1.1 million from 320 spots).

The international cume for "Guardian" is $15.4 million; "WTC" has grossed $77.2 million overseas.

Paramount/Nickelodeon's "Barnyard" lifted its overseas gross to $15.9 million on the strength of solid openings in Brazil, Chile, Iceland, Mexico, Peru and Spain. The weekend estimate for the animated film is $3.6 million from 2,029 screens in 22 countries.

Warners' "Flags of Our Fathers," from director Clint Eastwood, bowed at about 750 screens in four markets, including France and Japan, for an estimated $3.3 million. The Japanese gross was an estimated $1.7 million from 294 screens, while France provided $1.5 million from 425 sites. Its worldwide gross is $23.2 million.

Summit/Universal's "Step Up" danced its way to an estimated $3 million from 1,078 screens, lifting its overseas total to $19.6 million. In the U.K., the opening-weekend estimate was $2.2 million from 308 screens, good for the market's No. 3 title.

Universal/UIP's dystopian drama "Children of Men" yielded an estimated $2.6 million from 862 screens in Universal's 12 territories, lifting its cume to $15.4 million. DreamWorks Animation's "Over the Hedge" bowed at No. 2 in Italy (an estimated $1.7 million from 500 screens) for an overall weekend estimate of $2.3 million from 956 sites in 61 markets. Its international cume is $170.1 million.

In the disappointing-openings category, Fox's release of director Ridley Scott's "A Good Year," a comedy starring Russell Crowe about a man who inherits a vineyard in Provence, harvested only $791,000 from 285 screens in its U.K. bow. In Mexico, Pedro Almodovar's "Volver" debuted to $283,000 from 200 theaters. The cume for Fox territories (excluding those handled by Focus Features) is $1.7 million.

"Click," starring Adam Sandler, managed an estimated $2 million for the weekend from 1,500 screens in 37 territories, lifting its overseas total to $91.2 million. So far, according to distributor Sony, international boxoffice comprises 40% of "Click's" worldwide take, the largest percentage to date of any Sandler film.